Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Belle Isle, 1949" is a poem by Philip Levine, first published in 1979 in his collection "Ashes: Poems New and Old". The poem is a meditation on memory, family, and the passage of time. The title refers to Belle Isle, a park in Detroit, Michigan where Levine spent time with his family as a child. The poem was written during a time when Levine was reflecting on his childhood and his relationship with his father.

Explanation:

The poem begins with the speaker reflecting on a memory from his childhood, of his father and uncle fishing on Belle Isle. The speaker describes how the two men would wake early in the morning, and how they would catch fish in the river. The speaker then reflects on his own relationship with his father, and how he was often afraid of him.

As the poem progresses, the speaker meditates on the passage of time and the inevitability of death. He imagines a time in the future when he will be the age his father was in the memory, and when he will be the one waking early in the morning. He also reflects on the changes that have occurred in the world since the time of the memory, and how everything has changed and yet stayed the same.

The poem ends with the speaker imagining himself as an old man, sitting on the banks of the river and remembering his childhood. He reflects on the fact that he will one day die, but that the memory of Belle Isle will live on.

Poetic Elements:

• Form: Free verse
• Tone: Nostalgic, reflective
• Imagery: The river, the fish, the park
• Figurative Language: Personification ("The river remembers nothing, / neither do the trees, nor the broken lovers / who cried in each other's arms."), metaphor ("My father is dead. / I am his son."), allusion (to Shakespeare's "The Tempest" in the line "This is the island where Caliban / screamed at Prospero"), repetition ("Once I saw my father / walking alone in his garden. / The wind had risen, and leaves / were swirling everywhere.")

Conclusion:

"Belle Isle, 1949" is a poignant meditation on memory, family, and the passage of time. Through his evocative imagery and reflective tone, Philip Levine captures the bittersweet nostalgia of looking back on one's childhood and the inevitability of change and mortality. The poem speaks to the universal experience of growing older and the importance of holding on to memories of the past, even as we move forward into an uncertain future.

Poem Snippet:

"My father and my uncle Ted

are bending over the Detroit River

in 1949, each with a pole in hand,

and my mother stands beside them

in her apron and sun hat, a camera

in her hands, and I am in her belly"